


Invaded!

by fandomgurl77



Series: Alien Apocolypse AU [1]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alien Invasion, Anxiety, Do or Die, Fear, Gen, Humans as Food, M/M, Period-Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Homophobia, Rescue, Survival, Temporary Character Death, Unrequited Love, apocolypse, carson is not impressed, come on thomas it's your duty as a human, i don't know how many characters there are so i tagged everyone else anyway, i don't know how this will end i'm writing as i get ideas, life or death, thomas makes a hard decision, what to do?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:33:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28405560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomgurl77/pseuds/fandomgurl77
Summary: Thomas' night in York goes horribly wrong due to aliens invading and destroying the city and surrounding areas!With the warehouse being the only safe-haven still standing, he, Richard and the other men must rescue Chris and another of their own (and perhaps a friend - or two - who'd been deemed lost) when they are abducted.Will they be rescued before the aliens become hungry? Only time will tell.Note: This story is heavily inspired by War of the Worlds.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Chris Webster (past), Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Series: Alien Apocolypse AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152830
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU where the police raid never occurred - instead being replaced by the alien invasion.

‘Whoa!’ Thomas said in horror as he surveyed the destruction outside, ‘This is unbelievable!!’

‘You can say that again’, Richard said as he stood beside him, ‘All the buildings, streets and people – _everything_ – gone!’

‘At least Turton’s is still standing’, Thomas said while looking around at piles of debris strewn everywhere with the odd fire in-between, ‘Looks like it’s the only structure to have survived the initial attack.’

‘Yes’, Richard said, I can’t believe how lucky I am to be alive; it was only this morning that I heard on the radio that the whole of London had been wiped out by these alien invaders, with a very slim chance of survivors.’

‘Thank goodness you made it out though’, Thomas said, ‘I don’t know if I could live without you.’

‘Me neither, love’, Richard said, ‘Anyway, we should be making our way back to Downton.’

Thomas’ face sank upon hearing this.

‘I’m afraid…we can’t…’ he said sadly while shaking his head.

‘Why not?’ Richard asked.

‘The house…the family…our…our friends…they’re all gone…taken by the aliens’, Thomas sobbed, ‘And…the worst part is…W-WE’LL NEVER SEE T-THEM AGAIN!!’

‘What do you mean?’ Richard said.

It was then someone approached them from behind.

‘What he means is’, Chris said, ‘Is that these aliens… they EAT humans – or they suck the insides out of bodies anyway; trust me, I’ve seen many scrunched up and empty bodies being thrown out of those giant machines they move around in – even the bones have been removed.’

Suddenly, as if on cue, one of these empty shells fell onto the ground right in front of them, causing them to scream in fear.

‘No…’ Thomas said upon somehow recognising the scrunched-up face, ‘It can’t be…Phyllis!!’

‘Oh, my goodness…’ Richard said before gazing up at one of the machines angrily, ‘Those sick, evil animals!! How could they do this???’

‘They don’t care who they kill, as long as they survive long enough to take over the world’, Chris said.

‘I can’t believe it!!’ Thomas sobbed before bursting into tears, ‘My best childhood friend…emptied and discarded like a drink bottle!’

‘I’m so sorry Thomas’, Richard said as they hugged.

‘At least we still have each other’, Chris said, resulting in Richard glaring at him with burning anger.

‘How could you be so insensitive at a time like this!?’ he said, ‘Thomas has lost a dear friend and colleague, yet YOU seem to act like nothing has happened!!’

‘Of course I am saddened by what has happened, both here and everywhere else, but shouldn’t we be focussed on staying alive until this crisis comes to an end?’ Chris asked.

However, Richard was not impressed with this answer.

‘Why don’t you just GET OUT, brush-face?’ he said angrily, referring to the other man’s moustache, ‘Can’t you see MY man is having a moment here?

‘ _Your_ man??’ Chris sneered as he stormed towards Richard, ‘So, he’s yours, eh?? Well, I’ve got news for you… ** _I_** already made the first move, so there!’

‘WHAT!!?’ an enraged Richard shouted, ‘And **_where_** exactly was this done!??’

‘Are you completely stupid???’ Chris said, ‘I took him to Turton’s behind me for a night of dancing, just before all of this occurred!!’

‘Come on, Thomas’, Chris said as he took him by the hand, ‘Let’s go!’

‘Hey!’ Richard said before slapping his hand away while holding a razor in the other, ‘You touch him again and the moustache comes off!!’

‘Come on, Dick’, Chris said, ‘You wouldn’t shave ol’ Marcus off now, would you?’

‘Yes, I would’, Richard said, ‘And stop calling me Dick!’

‘Ok, you have won; he’s all yours!’ Chris said upon letting go of Thomas’ hand before retreating inside, ‘Now, please excuse me while I go and mend my broken heart.’

Suddenly, a long metal claw extended from one of the alien machines across the road and grabbed Chris just before the door could close.

‘AAAHHH!!!’ he shouted in fear as he was dragged through the air, ‘SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!!’

‘I’ve got you, Chris!’ a man named Jack said as he leapt onto and clung to the claw just before it disappeared through a door on the bottom of the machine.

‘Chris! Jack!’ Thomas shouted, as did numerous other voices from inside Turton’s, while he and Richard watched in horror as the machine walked away, ‘NOOOOO!!!’

‘We’ve got to save them’, Richard said.

‘I agree’, Thomas said, ‘Or they’ll end up like poor Phyllis…’

‘Come on, let’s go inside where its safe’, Richard said before hurrying into Turton’s and jamming the doors shut, ‘We’ll figure this out.’


	2. Chapter 2

‘Ok, everyone’, Richard said while sitting at a table in front of the bar, ‘What’s the plan?’

‘Well, first we have to figure out where Chris and Jack have been taken’, Harry said, ‘Which is easier said than done.’

‘Exactly’, Edward said, ‘There are hundreds – or perhaps even thousands - of machines scattered across Yorkshire alone, and that doesn’t come close to the total number in the country…’

‘I know’, Richard said, ‘London has all but been destroyed during the first wave of the invasion, in addition to most – if not all – of the city’s population going with it.’

‘I wonder why they chose Earth to set up a new home – surely they could have chosen Mars or the Moon, for example?’ Michael asked.

‘Hmm… perhaps you’re right’, Richard replied, ‘However, according to what Chris said earlier, I believe that they came here because of the abundance of food – in other words, _we_ are their primary source of nutrition.’

‘Seriously though’, Harry said, ‘We’ve got to figure out a way to rescue Chris and Jack before it’s too late!’

‘Yes’, Michael said upon laying out a large sheet on the table, ‘This is the plan…’

‘Ugh…’ Chris said as he stood up, ‘Where am I?’

‘I was about to say the same thing’, Jack said while looking around, ‘We seem to be in a giant cage of some sort.’

‘Correct’, a woman said behind them.

‘What the…’ Chris and Jack said as they turned to face her, ‘Who are you?’

‘I’m Monica Higgins’, the woman said, ‘I was peacefully eating supper before going to bed, as I always do – next thing you know, I was grabbed by a long, hose-like arm and ended up trapped in here.’

‘Yes’, Chris said upon briefly looking at Jack for a few seconds, ‘We were bought here in a similar fashion.

‘Yes’, Jack said before hastily thinking of a believable story, ‘We were, um, at a bar in the city having a few drinks…when we were plucked from our seats by the giant arm you mentioned earlier.’

‘Anyway’, Jack said as he looked out a narrow window along the side wall at the destruction and chaos far below, ‘What are we here for?’

‘That’s the thing’, Monica said, ‘I believe we are here for the sole purpose of…’

Suddenly, the cage door opened and a short, hose-like arm grabbed a man from the opposite side of the cage before dragging him out, leaving the rest of the occupants in horror.

‘What just happened?’ Chris asked, eyes wide as saucers, ‘What’s going to happen to him?’

As if on cue, the air rang with a whirring sound and screaming coming from behind a closed door, followed by a sucking sound minutes before something was thrown out the door and down a chute, from which it made a long descend to the ground.

‘Oh, my goodness’, Chris said, ‘That wasn’t…’

‘I’m afraid so’, Jack said, ‘I saw everything through the window.

‘Shit!’ Chris said as his expression quickly turned to one of fear, ‘We’re going to be eaten!’

‘We’ve got to get out of here!’ Jack said while desperately looking for a weak spot or hole that they could escape out of.

‘It’s no use’, Monica said while shaking her head, ‘This holding cage has been designed to prevent escape, and even if we did manage to find a way out, they’d be onto us quickly.’

‘We’ve got to try while we still have time’, Jack said, ‘We’ve just got to…’

‘I suppose you’re right’, Monica said.

Meanwhile, hidden within a disused sewer halfway between Downton and York, the Crawley family and all the downstairs staff had set up camp for the night.

‘How did it come do this?’ Mary said, ‘We were just about to call it a night, only to have to evacuate suddenly from these “invaders” – it’s unreal!’

‘I know’, Robert said, ‘However, it is much too dangerous to come out from hiding now – they’d kill us all.’

‘Yes, dear’, Cora said, we’ve already lost one of our own to them tonight.’

‘I can’t believe it – that arm…it came out of nowhere…’ Mary said before remembering something, ‘Speaking of that, why hasn’t Mr. Barrow returned yet? Do you think…that he’s been caught up in this as well, not to mention Mr. Ellis?’

‘Good heavens!’ Andy said upon hearing this, ‘I hope not!’

‘Just think about it’, Mrs. Patmore said, ‘Those two hiding somewhere, alone and cold…or worse…’

‘Blimey’, Robert said, ‘I hope that they aren’t in any pain, wherever they are…’

‘Me neither’, Cora said.


	3. Chapter 3

‘Right’, Richard said upon opening the door, ‘Let’s move out.’

‘Wait a minute…’ Michael said, ‘Where’s Thomas?’

As if on cue, a car parked up outside Turton’s.

‘Ah, Thomas’, Richard said, ‘You’re back. We were starting to get worried…’

‘Sorry’, Thomas said upon closing the car door, ‘I suppose I should have told you were I was going. Anyway, I brought Ivan back from the antiques shop down the road.

‘So I see’, Michael said before facing Ivan, ‘I’m so glad you’re alright; I never thought I would see you again!’

‘Me too, love’, Ivan said, ‘I’m just glad to be alive and well.’

It was then Richard noticed something unusual about the car.

‘Thomas’, he said while looking at a cylindrical object with a circular weight at one end sticking out the back slightly, ‘What’s this?’

‘Oh, yes’, Thomas said before telling him about the vehicle’s origins, ‘You see, this is no ordinary car; I and Ivan built this tonight using old clock parts – the thing sticking out the back is the pendulum that propels the car along.’

‘So’, Richard said, ‘I guess it acts as a “tail” by moving back and forth, then?’

‘Precisely’, Thomas said.

‘Anyway’, Richard said, ‘We’d all split up to go in search of Chris and Jack just before you came back.’

‘Yes’, Michael said, ‘We could all go searching in the car, if there’s enough room, of course.’

‘Of course, there’s plenty of room inside’, Thomas said upon opening the door, hop on in.’

Once the door was closed and everyone seated, Thomas started the motor by winding a large silver key on the dashboard beside the steering wheel.

‘Ok’, he said upon turning the lights on, ‘Time to go and find them.’

Meanwhile, Chris had managed to cut a hole in the door of the cage that they had been held captive in by using a discarded saw blade.

‘Guys’, he said, ‘I’ve found a way out.’

‘Thank goodness’, Jack said as they and Monica stepped through to the other side, ‘Now what do we do?’

‘There must be a way out of here somewhere…’ Chris said, ‘Anyway, we need to stay hidden from the aliens; I’d rather not become their next meal…’

‘Us neither’, Jack and Monica said.

It was then that Jack noticed what looked like a ventilation shaft cover on the wall in front of them.

‘Hey’, he said as he walked over and began manipulating the cover, ‘I think I’ve found the perfect place to hide; in the ventilation tunnels.’

‘Good thinking, Jack’, Chris said, ‘By hiding in the ventilation system, we should be able to move undetected from room to room until we find an exit.’

‘Ok then’, Monica said as Jack opened the cover before the trio crawled inside the metal pipe, ‘It’s now or never…’

Down on the ground, Thomas and the others were stopped in their tracks when the car’s back wheel was caught in a sticky green substance.

‘Hmm…’ Thomas said, ‘Looks like we’re stuck in some sort of goo...’

‘You’re right about it being sticky’, Ivan said as he undid one of his shoes and stepped out onto the cobblestone, ‘Looks like I’ll have to go barefoot for now; there’s no way I’m getting my shoe unstuck.’

‘Not to mention that there are piles of this substance all over the place’, Michael said.

‘Hey…’ Richard said, ‘You don’t think that these are piles of the…well…the aliens’…’

‘Shit!’ Chris said upon almost having his hand amputated by a spinning fan blade, ‘That was close; I very nearly lost my hand.’

‘Sorry’, Jack said, ‘I should have told you to be more careful.’

‘No, it’s my fault’, Chris said, ‘I should’ve been paying attention to what I was doing.’

Back on the ground, Thomas and the others were slowly making their way down the road when Richard heard something from behind a wall.

‘What was that?’ he asked while the others froze.

‘I…I d-don’t know’, Michael replied nervously as the sound grew louder and a dark shadow appeared in the streetlight.

‘Don’t come any closer’, Thomas said while holding a long, heavy piece of wood, ‘I’m armed.’

However, this did nothing to stop the owner of the shadow from coming ever closer

‘That’s it!’ Thomas said before rushing behind the wall to put a stop to whatever was behind there, terrifying Richard and the others in the process.

‘Thomas!’ Richard shouted in response to the screams behind the wall, ‘NO!!’

However, Thomas had made a grave mistake regarding the shadow; instead of an alien, he discovered, much to his delight, that Mary Crawley was still alive!

‘Goodness me!’ Mary shrieked, Mr. Barrow! What are you doing with that piece of wood?’

‘Oh my!’ a startled Thomas said, ‘I’m so sorry, milady. I thought you were an alien sent to kill us.’

‘Are you out of your mind?’ Mary asked, ‘What kind of master would want to kill their butler?’

‘Of course, now that you mention it, it does sound _a bit_ insane’, Thomas replied, ‘Anyway, how’s the rest of the family? I hope they haven’t been… _you know_...’

‘Everyone is alive and well’, Mary said, ‘We’re currently sheltering in part of the disused sewer network, if you must know.’

Thomas breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

‘Thank goodness for that’, he said, ‘At least you’re all safe.’


	4. Chapter 4

‘OW!’ Chris exclaimed upon banging his head on the top of the tunnel after waking up hours later, ‘Well, at least I wasn’t dreaming this…’

‘Blimey’, Jack said, ‘How long have we been here for?’

As if on cue, the sound of a voice drifted through the tunnel from a vent a few metres away.

‘Come on’, Chris said, ‘Let’s see what’s making that noise.’

‘Whoa!’ Jack whispered upon seeing what was on the other side of the vent, ‘It looks like some sort of screen!’

‘I was thinking the same’, Chris whispered as the screen showed an ugly-looking greyish-red creature speaking in intelligible gibberish, ‘Going by what I can hear, I’m assuming that he’s reading the morning news.’

‘News?’ Jack whispered, ‘But, I thought that you listened to the news on the radio.’

‘Well’, Chris whispered, ‘These aliens have far superior technology compared to us; this machine that we’re trapped in is proof of that.’

What happened a few seconds later horrified them to the core; one of the four aliens occupying the room opened a large door below the screen and pulled a human body out of what looked like a giant freezer!

‘Oh, my goodness’, a terrified Chris whispered, ‘That must be their long-term food storage room!’

However, things got even worse when the alien drove a large metallic spike into the victims head, causing a small fountain of blood to shoot out into the sink below, before it began sucking on it like a straw.

‘I think I’ve seen enough for one day’, Chris said before turning away quickly, ‘Come on, let’s go.’

‘Goodness!’ Thomas said while attempting to free the car, to no avail, ‘I’ve tried all that I can think of to free this bloody wheel over the last few hours with no success!’

‘Hmm…’ Ivan said while studying the goo-like substance closely before remembering something he’d witnessed years ago with a similar substance, ‘If I’m not mistaken, there _may_ be a small chance of dissolving this…’

‘What with?’ Thomas asked.

‘Well’, Ivan replied, ‘This may sound odd, but I have a feeling that this will dissolve by being exposed to…ammonia.’

‘Um…ok’, a confused Thomas said, ‘But, it’s not as if we have a supply on hand, is it?’

‘Actually, we do’, Ivan said, ‘If you just know where to look…’

‘What?’ Thomas said before having a ghastly thought, ‘No…you don’t mean…'

‘Yes’, Ivan said before whispering something in his ear.

‘You can’t be serious!’ Thomas said, ‘You mean that I’m going to have to…do _that_ … _on_ the wheel??’

‘Not on the wheel as much as the goo’, Ivan said, ‘I’m afraid it’s our only chance at freeing the car.’

‘Fine’, Thomas said after a few long seconds of silence, ‘I’ll do it; just, please… _no_ peeking.’

‘No, of course not’, Ivan said, ‘’You just give us a signal when it’s over and we’ll continue from there.’

‘Ok’, Thomas said before walking to the stuck wheel, ‘Wish me luck.’

‘AAAHHH!’ Monica screamed as she began to fall though a gap in the tunnel towards a rapidly-spinning fan before a hand grabbed hers.

‘It’s ok’, Chris said as he pulled her up, ‘I’ve got you.’

‘Thank you, Chris’, Monica said with a dazed look in her eyes, ‘You saved my life.’

‘Yes, well, we’re still trapped in here, aren’t we?’ Chris said, ‘Which means we need to find a way out.’

‘I suppose you’re right’, Monica giggled before attempting to kiss him.

‘Whoa!’ Chris said, ‘That won’t be necessary; I only saved you from certain death.’

‘Yes, but still…’ Monica said, ‘The way you pulled me up…just…wow-’

‘Um…ok then, I suppose’, Chris said, ‘Anyway, let’s keep moving.’

‘Finally’, Thomas said upon starting the car, ‘We’re free to continue on with our search.’

‘Hold on a minute’, Richard said upon remembering the previous night’s events, ‘If I’m not mistaken, that “alien” behind the wall last night turned out to be Lady Mary, am I right?’

‘Yes’, Thomas said, ‘Speaking of that, I think we all should go a meet up with the family and everyone else…you know…to confirm that we – especially me – are alive; they must be worried sick.’

‘But’, Richard said, ‘We don’t know where they are.’

‘I do’, Thomas said, ‘Lady Mary told me that they are sheltering in a disused sewer not far from here; fortunately they’re large enough to drive a small car down.’

‘But what about Chris and Jack?’ Richard asked.

‘Don’t worry’, Thomas said, ‘We’ll resume searching within a few minutes.’


	5. Chapter 5

‘What’s that?’ Mrs. Patmore said in response to a faint tooting sound coming from down the tunnel, ‘It sounds like a car horn.’

‘I think that the current situation has got to your head, Mrs. Patmore’, Mrs. Hughes said, ‘Firstly, I can’t hear anything, and secondly, _who_ in their right mind would attempt to drive a car through the sewer?’

As if on cue, the tooting became louder as two light beams became visible a few metres away.

‘Then what’s that?’ Daisy asked as Andy took her hand.

‘Oh my’, Mrs. Hughes said in shock and amazement, ‘What in the world?’

‘What the heck is going on?’ Mr. Carson asked, ‘Mrs. Hughes? Are you alright?’

‘Yes, Mr. Carson, thank you’, Mrs Hughes replied as a car parked in front of them before the occupants got out.

‘Oh, my goodness!’ Daisy exclaimed, ‘Thom…I mean, Mr. Barrow, you’re alive!!’

‘Pleased to meet you all too’, Thomas said, ‘We decided to come for a short visit so you wouldn’t worry about us.’

‘Well’, Mrs. Patmore said, ‘In that case, thank you; it is much appreciated.’

‘We are all relieved…’, Mr. Carson began before noticing Richard and two other men behind him.

‘Ohh…’ he said disapprovingly, ‘Good heavens, not again, Barrow…I thought we’d been over this…’

‘May I remind you that you’re not the butler anymore?’ Thomas said, ‘That I am your successor and thus in charge of all the decision-making, which includes bringing who I want whenever I want to visit.’

The ex-butler stood in front of him, mouth agape in shock at what he’d just heard.

‘This is most improper!’ Mr. Carson said, ‘I will **not** stand to have you and your… _friends_ – if that’s what you call them – anywhere near here! It’s a disgrace!’

‘Charles…’ Mrs. Hughes began before being cut off.

‘Seriously’, Thomas said, ‘When will you ever learn to accept that you have no authority over me or anyone else?’

‘Well’, Mr. Carson said, ‘You should be thankful that your father isn’t here, or he’d have sorted this out by now!’

‘You take that back!’ Thomas shouted, eyes blazing red with anger, ‘Just keep that psychopathic monster out of this, old oaf!’

‘Thomas!’ Mrs. Hughes said, mouth agape in shock over what she’d just heard, ‘There’s no need for name-calling; you’re not like that anymore.’

‘Sorry, Mrs. Hughes’, Thomas said as he backed down, ‘It just slipped out, that’s all.’

‘I knew you’d come to your senses’, Mrs. Hughes said.

‘Anyway’, Thomas said, ‘We must get going.’

‘Ok then’, Mrs. Hughes said, ‘Stay safe out there.’

‘Don’t you worry one bit’, Thomas said as he opened the driver’s door.

However, Mr. Carson was still fuming about the whole situation and had one last thing to say before they left.

‘Fine, Mr. Barrow’, he said, ‘You’re free to go…back to _lavender fields_!’

In response to this, everyone gasped while Thomas immediately stopped what he was doing and closed the door.

‘ _What_ did you just say???’ he asked as he walked up to him, hands balled in fists of rage.

‘I just said that you may go back to _where you belong_ , you pathetic, disgusting vermin!’ Mr. Carson replied.

‘That’s it!!’ Thomas shouted as he proceeded to punch the other man until Richard sprang from his seat and pulled him away.

‘Thomas, you’ve gone too far’, he said as the other man struggled to break free, ‘He may have said some hateful things, but violence is never the solution to anything.’

‘Let me at ‘im!!’ Thomas shouted as Richard was joined by Ivan and Michael in restraining him, eventually dropping him to the ground.

‘Richard’s right, Thomas’, Ivan said, ‘You can’t just outright _punch_ the former butler for what he said, although, truth be told, it was hurtful.’

’Ok, you two, that’s enough!’ Mrs. Hughes said, ‘Charles, you go and sit down, and as for _you_ , Thomas, you’re not going anywhere until you calm down! Understand?’

‘Yes, Mrs. Hughes, Thomas said as he stood up and dusted off.

‘Good’, Mrs Hughes said, ‘Now, go and find a quiet spot to rest for a while.'


	6. Chapter 6

‘Wow!’ Andy said in awe while looking at the shiny car in front of him, ‘I’ve never seen anything quite like it before!’

‘Seriously, dear’, Daisy said, ‘You’ve seen cars multiple times over the years.’

‘Yes’, Andy said, ‘But this one seems… _different_. I mean, even the engine’s somewhat strange…’

‘What do you mean?’ Daisy asked.

‘Here, have a look’, Andy replied upon opening one side of the bonnet, ‘Pretty unusual, isn’t it?’

‘Yes’, Daisy said, ‘It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before; it seems to be made of… _clock parts_???’

‘Hmm…’ Andy said on closer inspection, ‘Blimey, you’re right, it does look like the inside of a clock!’

‘Well’, Daisy said, ‘I suppose it somewhat makes sense, since Mr. Barrow’s father was a clockmaker; do you think…that he could have built it?’

‘Let’s go and ask’, Andy said.

‘That was refreshing!’ Chris said upon closing the door of the bathroom, ‘Boy, did I need a wash or what?’

‘Well, at least you’re nice and clean now’, Jack said.

‘Yes’, Monica said while blushing, ‘You _certainly_ look a whole lot better.’

‘Well’, Chris said after a few long seconds, ‘At least _someone’s_ noticed.’

‘Suppose I should go and do the same, shouldn’t I, _handsome_??’ Monica asked while batting her eyelids.

However, Chris wasn’t phased by this comment at all.

‘Yes, it’s a good idea for the sake of your health for starters’, he replied, ‘Not to mention that it’s relaxing as well.’

Suddenly, the door at the end of the corridor boomed open as an alien walked through from the cockpit/living quarters.

‘Holy shit’ Chris said upon opening a closet door, ‘We have to hide.

‘After you’, Monica said as she followed them into the closet and shut the door just as the alien walked past.

 _‘Phew!’_ they all thought collectively as the sound of footsteps faded into silence.

Meanwhile, the alien had detected the strong smell of human coming from the closet, resulting in it turning around and approaching the door silently while sniffing the air.

 _‘Fuck!’_ Jack thought while watching through the keyhole, _‘We’re done for!’_

However, just as the alien was about to open the door, it was called back to the cockpit urgently.

 _‘Thank heavens!’_ Jack thought upon hearing it scurry away and close the door at the end of the corridor before saying a few minutes later, ‘I think it’s safe to go out now.’

‘Are you sure?’ Chris asked.

‘Pretty much’, Jack replied as he opened the door, ‘Let me check first…’

Fortunately, much to everyone’s relief, there were no aliens in the corridor.

‘Come on out, guys’, Jack said, ‘It’s perfectly safe.

‘Thank goodness’, Chris said before he and Monica stepped out into the light.

‘Ok’, Monica said, ‘What was I doing again? Oh, that’s right, I was going to go and have a shower.’

She gave Chris a brief look of affection as if to say, _‘I’ll be back soon, love’_ , before walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

Over the next few seconds, Chris stood in place with a confused expression.

‘That look she gave me just then…I don’t get it’, he said, ‘Why would she do such a thing?’

‘Beats me’, Jack said, ‘Women are mysterious creatures.’

‘So, Mr. Barrow’, Andy said, ‘We were just looking at the car and wondering…’

‘If you had built the engine’, Daisy said.

‘What makes you say that?’ Thomas asked.

‘Well’, Daisy replied, ‘On closer inspection, we noticed that it strongly resembles the inside of a clock.’

‘Does it now?’ Thomas asked.

‘Yes’, Andy replied, ‘There’s even one of those…um…circular weight things sticking out the back.’

‘Yes’, Thomas said, ‘That “weight thing” you saw is called a pendulum; in this case, it’s what helps to move the car along.’

‘Ah’, Daisy said, ‘So you _did_ build it then.’

‘Yes’, Thomas said, ‘Well, I had some help from Ivan; he used to work in a car factory in America, you know.’

‘I see’, Daisy said, ‘Anyway, it’s an amazing machine.’

‘Thanks’, Thomas said.


	7. Chapter 7

‘Right’, Thomas said upon standing up, ‘It’s time to go; we’re already off schedule, by _five fucking hours_!’

‘Dear me’, Ivan said, ‘Where did all the time go? How can “a few minutes” turn into five hours??’

‘Anyway’, Richard said upon sitting in the back seat of the car, ‘Thomas is right; we need to resume our search for Chris and Jack.’

‘If they’re still alive, that is’, Michael said, ‘I mean, we don’t know if they’ve been…’

‘Of course they’re still alive!’ Thomas said, ‘Which is why we’re leaving right now; to track down and rescue them.’

And so, after saying goodbye to everyone else, Thomas drove the car out of the sewer before following a trail of giant footprints running alongside the road.

‘Phew!’ Monica said upon exiting the bathroom, ‘Glad that’s over! How do I look?’

‘You look as good as new’, Chris and Jack said simultaneously, ‘Any man would say that you look… _smashing_ , to be honest.’

‘Thank you’, Monica said while blushing before walking up to Chris.

‘Oh, and by the way’, she whispered in his ear, ‘I was thinking of you the whole time I was in there. Pretty much explains the few hours I spent, doesn’t it?’

Chris looked at her dumbfoundedly and blinked a few times.

 _‘What the heck is going on?’_ he thought, _‘Is she trying to hit on me?’_

‘Um…’ he said, ‘Ok…I suppose.’

‘Anyway’, Jack said, ‘It’s about time we settled down for the night

‘I agree’, Chris said as they retreated into the ventilation system.

Later that night, Monica crept up on a sleeping Chris.

‘I love you, Chris’, she whispered as she leaned down and kissed him.

The kiss was like nothing that she had experienced before- _soft, warm, invigorating_ and _beautiful_. But there was something missing – she thought; why wasn’t Chris awake to experience such a moment, a moment of bliss and, perhaps best of all, _intimacy_? It was a shame that only left her wanting more.

‘Why won’t you respond?’ she whispered before returning to the other side of the tunnel and drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Chris woke up with a funny taste in his mouth, in addition to a smudge of some sort on his cheek.

‘What the…’ he said upon sitting up, ‘Why is there a strange taste in my mouth?’

It was then that Jack noticed the smudge.

‘I don’t know’, he said, ‘But, whatever it was, it left a smudge on your left cheek.’

‘Hm…’ Chris said as he thought about all the different possibilities, to no avail, ‘Oh well, we better keep looking for a way out.

Meanwhile, the same alien that had been in the corridor the previous day was looking through security footage on the screen in the cockpit/living quarters, when he noticed Monica, Chris and Jack crawling inside the ventilation tunnel beside the closet, so he pressed a button on the panel, dispatching a large metal claw to find them.

Back on the ground, Thomas and the others had just resumed following the trail of footsteps and destruction after a long, restless night.

‘We’re coming for you, Chris and Jack’, Thomas said as they neared the city limits, ‘We’re going to rescue you.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short!
> 
> The next chapter is the super-long climax.


	8. Chapter 8

Suddenly, a metal claw came down the ventilation tunnel at speed.

  
'AAAHHH!!!' Chris screamed in terror before making a U-turn and running down the corridor.  
  
'Monica!! Jack!!' he said, 'It's time to go. 'They're after us!!!'  
'But...' Monica began before being cut off, 'Chris...'  
'Look, Monica', Chris said, 'We've been through this before; we're incompatible with each other!'  
Monica was absolutely gobsmacked by what she'd just heard.  
'What???' she asked.  
'I'm sorry to say this, Monica', Chris replied, 'But I'm not what I seem. The truth is, I just don't find women attractive, unlike other men.'  
  
Monica thought about this for a few minutes before realizing what he meant.  
'I see', she said, 'You're...'  
'Yes', Chris nodded, 'I admit it.'  
'I can’t believe it!!', a heartbroken Monica sobbed, ‘How could I have been so foolish!??’

‘So now you know why we can never be a thing’, Chris said, ‘But don’t worry; you’ll find your match someday.’

‘Yes, but…’ Monica sobbed while wiping tears away from her eyes, ‘It’s just not fair that…’

‘Anyway’, Chris said just as the claw came into sight, ‘We better get going.’

‘What the?’ Monica asked as he and Jack fled the scene before the claw went straight for her.

‘Good heavens!!’ she shrieked before following the others hastily.

‘Finally’, Thomas said as he got out of the car, ‘We’ve made it to the outskirts of the city!’

‘What makes you think that machine could be around these parts?’ Richard asked before nearly falling over a massive metallic dome.

‘OW!’ he said on regaining his footing, ‘Blimey, what is this thing?’

‘Goodness!’ Thomas said, ‘It’s one of the machines that we’re looking for!’

‘How do we know that it’s the correct one?’ Michael asked.

‘Well, to put it honestly, Thomas replied, ‘We don’t. We’ll just have to wait for any signs of Chris and Jack to appear. Only problem is…this is only one of the two legs; the actual machine is towering far above us.’

‘I see what you mean’, Ivan said as they looked up at a large black dot supported atop two legs.

Suddenly, the machine started to move again, lifting its leg in the process.

‘Richard!’ Thomas shouted, as it came down again, threatening to squash him, ‘Watch out!!’

‘Shit!’ Richard said as he ducked out of the way just in time.

‘Phew!’ he breathed with a sigh of relief, ‘That was close!’

‘Thank goodness you’re all right’, Thomas said as he hugged and kissed him.

‘I’d never leave you’, Richard said, ‘You know that.’

‘Sorry to interrupt’, Michael said, ‘But it’s moving away!’

‘Oh, great’, Richard said, ‘How are we supposed to know now? It’s not like we can keep following them all over the bloody country, is it?’

‘I suppose you’re right…’ Thomas began before two figures descended to the ground from the rear of the machine.

‘What was that?’ Richard asked.

‘I don’t know’, Thomas replied, ‘But we’re going to find out.’

As if on cue, a black-haired man and a woman emerged from the woods.

‘Jack!’ Thomas said in awe, ‘You’re alive!’

‘Yes’, Jack said, ‘Finally found my way out of the machine that just came through here. Oh, and I also rescued Monica here.’

‘Hello’, Monica said, ‘Pleased to meet you all.’

‘Anyway’, Thomas said upon noticing something was amiss, ‘Where’s Chris? I thought he would’ve escaped with you.’

Jack thought about this for a few seconds before coming to a horrible conclusion.

‘Blimey!’ he said in a panic, ‘He must be still on board!!’

‘Right!’ Thomas said as he opened the car door and started the engine, ‘You wait here while we go and rescue him!’

‘Ok’, Jack said as the car raced off after the machine.

‘Ok, Richard’, Thomas said while driving towards the machine, ‘Here’s the plan; I…’

Suddenly, a large metal claw grabbed Thomas and took him up inside the belly of the machine, much to Richard’s horror.

‘THOMAS!!!’ he shouted, ‘NOOO!!!

‘Come on!’ Ivan said as he took the wheel as multiple hose-like arms were waving about frantically, ‘We need to get out of here!’

‘But what about Thomas and Chris?’ Richard asked.

‘I’m afraid it’s too dangerous to stay here to help them’, Ivan replied as the car came to a screeching halt a few seconds later.

‘Jack! Monica!’ he shouted as the machine advanced on them, getting closer by the second, ‘Get in!!!’

‘Fuck!’ Jack said in terror as he and Monica squeezed in and slammed the door before the car raced down the road at full speed.

‘Oh, goodness!’ Richard said as Ivan headed straight for the main doors of Turton’s, which fortunately were wide open, ‘Are you crazy?’

‘I’m afraid we’ll have to drive inside’, Ivan said, ‘It’s the only chance we’ve got at staying alive.’

It was then that the car flew up the steps and through the doors.

‘AAAHHH!!!’ Richard and Michael screamed as the wheels skidded on the dance floor.

‘COR BLIMEY!!’ a couple sitting at a table screamed as they ducked out of the way before the car zoomed past as other patrons scattered in terror.

Finally, the car came to a stop on the opposite side of the building, leaving a trail of overturned tables and chairs in its wake.

‘Phew!’ Richard said as he got out, followed by Jack and the others, ‘I’m sure glad that’s over!’

‘The doors!’ Michael said as he ran down the short corridor they had come through seconds earlier, only to jam them shut just as the machine passed by outside.

‘There’, he said upon returning, ‘We’re safe now; the doors are jammed shut.’

‘Just one thing’, Harry said, ‘Where’s Chris? We couldn’t find him anywhere, so we thought you’d have bought him back, since you’ve found Jack.’

‘And anyway’, another voice said, ‘Who is that woman you bought back here?’

‘Oh’, Jack said, ‘Everyone, this is Monica Higgins. She was trapped in the machine alongside me and Chris and ultimately decided to escape as well.’

‘Now for your other question…’ Ivan began.

Back inside the machine, things were a very different story…

 _‘Shit!!’_ Chris thought as he made it into the room with the holding cage in it as two claws drove him into a corner.

 _‘Oh my…’_ he thought as he looked around desperately while shaking with fear.

However, the position of the claws made it impossible to escape; no-one was going to come up here to rescue him.

 _‘This cannot be…the end’_ , Chris thought.

Suddenly, one of the claws made a beeline straight for him!

‘AAAHHH!!’ he cried out in fear just as the door burst open.

 _‘What the…’_ he thought upon seeing that Thomas had come to rescue him!

‘Hey, Chris’, Thomas said, ‘I’m here to get you out.’

‘Thanks’, Chris said, ‘But how did you…’

‘Never mind that’, Thomas said, ‘Just go out the chute behind you!’

‘What about you?’ Chris asked.

‘It’s too late for me’, Thomas replied as a claw grabbed and proceeded to take him into another room, ‘Just free yourself!’

‘Yes’, Chris said before sliding down the chute.

An hour later, Chris finally turned up at Turton’s.

‘Chris!’ Michael and Jack exclaimed upon letting him inside, ‘You’re alive!’

‘Yes’, Chris said as Richard walked up to him, ‘I finally made my way out of the machine…’

‘What about Thomas?’ Richard asked desperately, ‘Is he alright?’

However, the response was one that he did not want to hear.

‘I’m so sorry…’ Chris said sadly as he took his hat off and closed his eyes.

Richard felt like he had been hit by a ton of bricks upon hearing this.

‘No…’ he said, ‘It can’t be…you mean he’s…’

‘He was taken by one of the claws when he rescued me’, Chris said, ‘There’s no chance he could have survived.’

Suddenly, the air rang with an agonised _‘NOOO!!!’_ before Richard burst into tears.

‘Oh, Richard’, Ivan said as he and a small group of men gathered around him, ‘We can’t imagine the sorrow and pain you must be going through right now.’

‘I can’t believe it’, Richard sobbed as he sat down, ‘My best friend…my _lover_ …gone!’

‘He went out a true hero’, Chris said sadly, ‘If that makes you feel better.’

‘What am I going to tell everyone??’ Richard sobbed, referring to the Crawleys, ‘How will they react?’

‘Come on, Richard’, Ivan said, ‘We might as well go and tell them what’s happened.’

‘I suppose’, Richard said as he walked slowly to the car.

‘Chris’, Ivan said, ‘You can go and open the doors wide for us.’

‘Ok’, Chris said before heading down the corridor.

‘Everyone’, Ivan said down in the sewer as the car came to a halt, ‘We’ve got some tragic news.’

‘Ok. What is it?’ Mrs. Hughes asked before noticing that Thomas was missing, ‘Where’s Thomas?’

‘That’s what we’re here to tell you about’, Ivan said, ‘I’m afraid he’s…been taken by the aliens; in other words…he’s dead.’

Mrs. Hughes and the rest of the staff were left speechless by this news.

‘What??’ she asked in shock and disbelief, ‘This can’t be true; the butler _can’t_ be dead!’

‘I’m afraid so, Ivan said sadly, 'Understandably, Richard is devastated on losing his best friend and…’

Upon hearing this, Mr. Carson rolled his eyes.

‘Yes’, he said, ‘And I think we all know what type of “friends” they were as well.’

As soon as he had spoken, an eerie silence filled the air.

‘How could you, Charles?’ Mrs. Hughes said, ‘May I remind you that you never treated Thomas with the respect he deserved, and now he’s dead!’

‘I’m just saying’, Mr. Carson said, ‘This _never_ would have happened if I’d been in charge!’

‘Perhaps not’, Mrs. Hughes said.

‘However, since he’s gone, it looks like I can resume my former position, at least until another butler is found’, Mr. Carson said.

‘I suppose so’, Mrs Hughes said reluctantly.

Meanwhile, Richard and the others were talking to some of the other staff.

‘I can’t believe it!’ Daisy sobbed, ‘A truly great member of staff…gone!’

‘I’m going to miss him’, Mrs. Patmore sobbed, ‘He was a good man, even if his attitude could be dark at times.’

‘I know’, Richard sobbed, ‘Chris told me that he “went out a true hero.”’

‘Who’s Chris?’ Daisy asked with a confused expression.

‘Oh’, Richard said upon realising what he’d said, ‘Chris is a friend of ours; we met up in York a few days ago.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Richard! :( - I'm so sorry about how this chapter turned out! (It was very hard for me to write.)
> 
> However, I promise that things will get better- all is not what it seems ;)


	9. Chapter 9

The next 24 hours were filled with misery and pain for Richard; even moving was not an option.

‘Come on, Richard’, Michael said when he put a glass of water down in front of him, ‘You need to drink; you’ll become dehydrated otherwise.’

‘What’s the use?’ a depressed Richard said, ‘My world has stopped spinning without Thomas; I don’t have the energy to go on.’

‘Look’, Michael said, ‘We all miss him terribly; you saw how everyone reacted yesterday when we broke the news. However, we must try to regain at least _some_ normality.’

‘Why don’t you just LEAVE ME ALONE!!?’ Richard snapped, causing Michael to flinch in shock, ‘I don’t want your stupid ideas!!!’

‘Ok, if that’s how you want it’, Michael said as he stood up and proceeded to leave, ‘Then I’m leaving.’

‘What’s going on?’ Chris asked as he came over.

‘Same goes to you, brush-face!!’ Richard shouted, ‘Just get out of my sight!!’

‘I think we should leave’, Michael replied, ‘Give him a chance to calm down.’

‘I think so too’, Chris said.

As the hours went by, Richard took out the silver pendant that he had given to Thomas just days before – Chris had found it and returned it to him on his return – and clenched it tightly in his hand while sobbing.

‘I’m powerless without you, my dearest Thomas’, he sobbed, ‘I wish I could see your pretty face one last time! Why did you have to go so suddenly!?’

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, a figure emerged from hiding.

 _‘Ugh…’_ the figure, Thomas, thought as he walked down the road, _‘Where is everybody??’_

Back at Turton’s, Michael was becoming concerned about Richard, since he had stayed in the same position all day.

‘Chris’, he said, ‘I’m starting to worry about Richard, he hasn’t done so much as move all day, and it’s just gone 6:00 p.m.’

‘Come to think of it, I am too’, Chris said, ‘But there’s nothing we can do to bring Thomas back. Anyway, I might go and see if he’s ready to talk now.’

‘Good idea’, Michael said.

‘Hey, Richard’, Chris began before being cut off, as per earlier in the day, ‘I was wondering if…’

‘For goodness sake, Chris’, Richard said, ‘What the bloody hell do you want _this_ time??’

‘Clearly I can see that you are not ready to talk things over’, Chris said.

It was then Richard snapped under pressure.

‘Listen here, brush-faced maniac!’ he shouted, ‘ _What_ part of “leave me alone” **don’t** you understand!??’

‘Come on, Richard’, Chris said, ‘You don’t need to call me that. Now, if you want me to, I can leave you for a while longer, as long as you get up and move soon; you haven’t all day.’

‘Please do’, Richard said.

‘Ok then’, Chris said before returning to Michael with the news.’

‘Well, that was a failure’, he said disappointedly, ‘Like you said, he won’t budge.’

‘I see’, Michael said, before finally giving in, ‘Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.’

However, just as things were winding down for the night, the was a loud nock on the doors.

 _‘I wonder who that could be??’_ Chris thought before opening one of them.

However, he was not expecting the surprise on the other side.

‘Did you miss me?’ Thomas asked on the other side.

‘Thomas?’ Chris asked, ‘Oh, my goodness! Please, come inside!’

‘Thanks’, Thomas said upon walking through the door before it was shut again, ‘Anything to get out of this torn coat of mine; it’s basically ripped to shreds.’

‘How did that happen?’ Chris asked.

‘It was one hell of a struggle to make it out alive’, Thomas said, ‘I had to basically fight against the claw before being chased by an alien around the machine until I found the same chute that you escaped through.’

‘I see’, Chris said, ‘Thank goodness you’re alive. Anyway, there’s someone who I believe will be over-joyed to see you again.’

‘Richard!’ Chris said, ‘I have someone who I think you’d like to meet.

‘Once again…’, Richard began before realising who he’d meant, ‘I’ve already told you to…’

‘Hello again, Richard’, Thomas said, ‘Did you miss me?’

Richard could not believe his eyes or ears for the next few seconds.

‘THOMAS!!!’ he exclaimed as he hugged him, ‘I thought you were dead!’

‘Well, I’m not’, Thomas said before they kissed, ‘I just _had_ to come back alive for you.’

‘I’m so glad you did’, Richard said, ‘Please promise you’ll never leave me.’

‘I promise’, Thomas said.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Monica decided to leave and start a new life.

‘Are you sure about this?’ Michael asked, ‘With all these aliens roaming about and all…’

‘I’ll be fine’, Monica replied, ‘I’ll just live underground until it’s safe to come up again.’

‘Ok’, Michael said, ‘If you say so’

‘Oh’, Monica said before leaving through the door, ‘Thanks for rescuing me; I truly appreciate it.’

‘No problem’, Michael and Ivan said, ‘That’s what friends are for.’

‘So’, Monica said as she stepped outside down the steps and onto the cobblestone road, ‘I suppose this is goodbye.’

‘Goodbye, Monica’, Michael and everyone else said, ‘Good luck and keep safe!’

‘And don’t forget us!’ Thomas said.

‘I won’t’, Monica said as the door closed.

 _‘I most certainly won’t...’_ she thought as she found her way to a suitable hiding place.

It was then the Richard came into the room.

‘Have I missed anything?’ he asked.

‘Only Monica’s departure’, Thomas replied.

‘I see’, Richard said, ‘Well, I wish her all the best…’

‘We all do’, Thomas said before remembering something, ‘Speaking of which, we need to go and tell the family that I am, in fact, alive.’

‘I was thinking the same thing’, Richard said.

‘Me too’, Thomas said before thinking, _‘I can’t wait to see the look on Mr. Carson’s face when he sees me.’_

_Indeed, everyone was thrilled to hear that Thomas was alive._

**To be continued…**


End file.
